1. I have a draft letter to the Chief asking for the reinstatement of the online employment directory, as it was prior. Many of you wanted to sign on.. please send me your emails so we can jointly edit the letter and sign off and send. Please email me at sharon at forestpolicypub.com.
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2. The Hotshot Wakeup has a great roundup of what’s going on in fire, not paywalled, although I certainly encourage folks to subscribe or donate, he is covering all this better than anyone else and is doing it on his own.
My summary : lots of stress on the system, firefighters are timing out of the system, still lots of fires and fire weather, plus some folks are helping with the hurricane aftermath in North Carolina. I don’t understand the ins and outs of “no overtime” sounds like it needs some kind of approval, but maybe not for fire folks?
From this post:
“Due to the unprecedented fire environment forecasted through mid-October, increased initial attack and growth on existing fires, competition for resources including a growing commitment of resources to Hurricane Helene, and the seasonal reduction in firefighting resources, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) provides the following direction effective immediately.” They are managing all crew assignments, Complex Incident Management Teams and
The NMAC urges extreme caution in executing new prescribed fires in the current environment and would strongly caution against any reliance on national resources to achieve Rx objectives; new ignitions may pose a risk of escape due to current weather and fuels conditions which would further strain the availability of national resources.
(my bold)
In THW’s words
Yes, the fancy high-tech blimps, billion-dollar satellites, and other innovations I have been writing about are helpful and cool for the “new age” of wildfire operations.
But what we need now more than ever is firefighters on the ground who feel well compensated, so they decide to stay in the fight, come back next season, and help those coming in with their first-hand knowledge of fire suppression. That is what puts out fires. That’s what is needed in disaster areas where 5,000 miles of roads need trees cleared off them.
But every time legislation is introduced for the actual people on the ground doing the hard labor needed to protect our communities, it is argued over, and we are told there isn’t enough funding.
This should be a wake-up call to everyone. The fancy, high-tech wildfire gadgets definitely help in the overall fight, but when you run out of hard-working people with pulaskis and chainsaws, you end up in the situation we are in today.
Wake Up.
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3. Rumor has it that the FS is asking for funding back from some agreements (Keystone?), it’s obligated, so it’s already gone, but conceivably not yet spent. Like I said, this is just a rumor.
Any other news/rumors? Please comment below or email me.
What a mess, this Grand Old Agency, has spiraled into……